Split in Two
by NamiEmi
Summary: Chi doesn't know where her old life went, but it did exist once-didn't it? Why did she believe in it in the first place? Rated T just in case for emotional maturity.
1. Chapter 1

Inside the booming mansion, a young girl looked out at the dreary scenery before her. It had rained and rained for days-so much, in fact, that there was a flood warning in effect for the surrounding area. She sighed, looked down at her right leg, then back to the lone window in her room. She hated staying inside.

"Chi?"

She didn't turn at her mother's knock.

"I'm coming in, ok?"

Chitose, thirty-four, with long, dark hair that fit her slender curves, stepped over the various boxes in her daughter's room. In her arms she held a rectangular package nearly as tall as herself. The gifts had started to get old a week ago, but her mother still kept on.

"I think you'll really like this one," she said, and Chi could tell she was using her most encouraging tone. "My company's been working on this product for years and you'll be the first kid to have one!"

Chi reluctantly swiveled her chair around. The box greeting her eyes was indeed impressive. However, the lettering along the top caused her face to sour.

 _Your child's new best friend! It talks! It plays! It loves you!_

A doll. Her mother had chosen a _doll_. Chi was, after all, eight years old and far too mature for anything less complex than a computer.

"-left Sakura with your physical therapy instructions," her mother was saying, "but you should have a few hours before then to enjoy your new toy! Its name should be on the back. See you!"

Her eyes wandered after her mother stepping into her car and driving down the winding road connected to the house. This seemed to happen more and more often: her mother handing off a gift and having to hurry off to work soon after.

 _Maybe it will rain so hard it floods our house_ , Chi thought. _Then Chitose would have to come back. Chi would probably drown, though, since she can't swim with a bad leg._

A greenstick fracture of the right tibia. She remembered the words typed on the discharge papers Chitose had signed. Very fortunate, the doctor had said, that Chi had sustained a minor fracture in the accident-especially considering-

Her eyes flew open. Why had she been dreaming about that? Of all things, it was one she tried thinking about the least.

"S-Sakura! Chi wants lunch! Now!"

Her maid emerged from the kitchen, carrying a plate of chicken salad sandwiches with cucumber. Chi eyed the sag in Sakura's apron pocket where the pill box lay. Sakura had been caring for the young girl a few months before she figured out Chi was having episodes of depression. What had once been a vibrant, energetic child had quickly spiraled into a demanding and often sullen youth.

"Will that be all, Ms. Chi?" Sakura had a certain quality of voice inflection when she spoke that often calmed people. However, the little girl was in a vehement mood.

"Chi wants one," she stated flatly, pointing to the contents of the apron pocket.

"We've talked about this before, Ms. Chi; these are your mother's, not yours. Have you been dreaming about it again?" She said quietly, placing a reassuring hand on the child's shoulder.

Chi shrunk under the contact. Her face scrunched into a whimper. For several moments it seemed she was going to take one step toward closure. Some other thought entered her mind at the same time and intercepted the moment. An image, a memory of the accident, fresh and real. Her face was blank again.

"Get out, get out, GET OUT!"

"I'll be back at three for your excercises, Ms. Chi," her maid sighed as she left the room.

Chi ate little of her lunch. Everything either looked or tasted like gravel. She tossed the plate with a resounding crash, taking some pleasure in watching the sandwiches tip with it. A different noise came from her right. The box was moving. Had the doll turned itself on? She watched the box as it first turned, then toppled onto its back. Furious scuffling came from within the contents-whatever lay inside wished to be free.

"Little help here? Somebody?" came a voice from within. Chi rolled her eyes. They really must be desperate for customers at her mother's company, making such a cliche doll. She moved her wheelchair closer and pulled the ribbon round the box loose. The lid was pushed off, and out stepped a boy dressed in what she considered the tackiest clothes she had ever seen: dark blue jeans, a faded white t-shirt, and flip-flops.

"Hullo! I'm Fay!" he said, smiling brightly. _Chitose must have programmed him to be nicer than usual,_ she thought with disdain.

 **So after a brief break from ongoing stories, I've finally decided to share this idea with all of you! I nearly posted it a few years back, but it got deleted due to my own silliness of not having a backup copy. Hope you enjoy! Please review and let me know what you're thinking. ^.^  
**

 **-NamiEmi**

 **John 1:16**


	2. Chapter 2

"Mphm...so...what do you do for fun around here, Chi? I don't see a single board game in here and y'know, that kinda offends me, being your guest and all."

Chi rolled her eyes. The doll called Fay had been talking nearly non-stop ever since he'd been switched on about her room, her clothes, his clothes in comparison, why she was left practically alone in the house, why her house was so big with only three people living in it, what happened to her leg, and so on-all while munching on _her_ chicken salad sandwiches. If nothing else, his inventor was persistent in pulling in money from lonely childrens' parents.

"Chi thinks you shouldn't ask so many questions or she'll turn you off," she said irritably.

This reply was met with confusion and mirth. "Turn me off?" He repeated. "Ohhh, I see-it's like a tick you have: you 'turn' people you don't like 'off.' You're funny," he laughed, then, continuing with the joke, "I'd like to see you try 'turning' me 'off' when I can run faster than you at the moment. That'd be gold! How did your leg get like that-you never said?"

He could tell with satisfaction that he had pushed one of her buttons. She turned suddenly from the window and huffed, "Chi could _so_ do it! And if you must know, Chi was in an accident-and it wasn't-" she stammered, "...wasn't her fault at all. None of it." Her face was hot with anger, a symptom she hated others to see, so she turned away again. The fun in Fay's face left just as quickly as he realized the effect of his teasing had gone too far.

"I didn't mean it like that, Chi." He looked around for something, anything to change the subject-and spied an _Uno_ game suffocating beneath a stack of children's bedtime storybooks. "Here, let's play something!" She watched him awkwardly shuffle the cards and begin to lay them out on the floor. "How does it work?" She ventured slowly. "I knew you'd be interested!" Fay exclaimed, though he had felt just the opposite. An hour later and she was mercilessly beating him at it-including when he had let her win the first round. " _Uno_!" She squealed triumphantly and placed her final blue card down on her turn. "That's it," Fay replied, "I give. Mind if we play a different card game, since that's all you have?"

"Teach Chi another one!"

Fay turned in the process of selecting a new game. "You mean you've never played _any_ of these? It's like a warehouse up here! Ever thought of selling wholesale?"

"Chi was going to learn, but...there's no one to play them with anymore. Chitose is too busy, and...Anyway, just pick one."

"I do believe that was the nicest thing you've said all day!"

"Don't push it, Fay."

"All jokes aside," he said, his chuckle mellowing into seriousness, "What I said earlier-I really didn't mean it like that. It was a joke, honest. Apology accepted?"

Her glum face stared back at him.

"Apology accepted?" he repeated earnestly.

"...Chi wants to play another game."

Fay's cheeks puffed out in an exasperated sigh as he patted her hand. Obviously, she wasn't about to let it go so soon. "Sure, Chi."

The fourth consecutive round of _War_ found the two in a deadlock for first place, and Chi at times thought the strange little doll was allowing her to catch up to his score by rigging the shuffle. He was especially good at goading her on when she considered giving up after repeatedly drawing unfavorable cards. However, she caught on quickly and lost by a mere three points when all was said and done.

Chi had become so engrossed in this playtime that by the time Sakura re-entered the room to help with Chi's exercises, the little girl took the cards in her hand up with her while Sakura read how to perform the exercises. Even more surprisng was the fact that Chi hardly disobeyed the instructions, strecthing her legs freely as she played.

"It's been a long time since I've seen you enjoy a game that much, Ms. Chi. But who is your friend? I don't remember admitting anyone else at the door..."

"His name's Fay," Chi answered without skipping a beat, throwing down her last ace.

Her companion smiled at Sakura in greeting. "I came in sort of an unusual way-took a trip in a box and even broke my own record for holding my breath!"

Sakura chuckled lightly as realization dawned on her. They were making androids so lifelike nowadays, weren't they? She had honestly mistaken it for a little boy with its human-like sayings. Even Chi had started calling it "he" and "Fay".

"I'm delighted you're having such a good time, Ms. Chi, but I'm afraid it's time for bed. Say goodbye to Fay."

"Chi doesn't want to. We're still playing a game."

"Now, Ms. Chi..." Sakura said, mentally bracing herself for the temperment that was sure to follow.

Fay piped up, "C'mon, Chi! You want to feel rested for our match tomorrow, right? It wouldn't be good sportsmanship if I stomped you into the ground just because you were tired. I'll still be here, honest."

Chi's sallow face showed a glimmer of hope at the prospect of a game. She hadn't had many friends before and was cut off from the few she did by the possible flood threatening the surrounding area, though Chitose had already said there was little chance of it reaching their house.

"...Promise you'll still be here?"

"You're looking at Mr. Honesty himself."

"Ok..."

 **So I hope you enjoy chapter 2! Thank you to everyone who's reviewed already. It means a lot to me! The next chapter will likely be a tad late in coming as well since I'm in summer school, but I haven't forgotten about this story...honest!**

 **Psalm 73:26**


	3. Chapter 3

The scenery passed in front of her eyes with a warm haze to it. Behind the unusually wispy clouds crept the sun's tendrils of light, continually bathing in the glow. This was complemented by tall buildings reaching up to meet the sky. Chi liked to watch the glint of the skyscraper's hundreds of windows on car trips like these. She noticed as she continued to look among the people outside that a father and his small child paused for the street light. Seeing her, they smiled politely and waved as her car passed by, the child yelling something unintelligible through a toothy mouth. She returned the greeting too late for them to see, then turned her smile toward her father in the driver's seat. His blue eyes examined her eager face in the rearview mirror.

"You ready to get some ice cream, Lady?"

The nickname had stuck after a taxi driver had said it to her several weeks before. She hadn't liked the idea of it at the time, but her father made it sound like it fit. She nodded emphatically, making him chuckle. His laugh was deep and comforting, and she realized it had been a while since she had heard it. It made her world a little brighter that he would take time out of his busy schedule to get a dessert they both loved.

"Mom says you've been interested in Astronomy lately. Maybe we could all pitch in for our own telescope?"

She nodded again happily and reached for her coin purse to count up her savings. Not that she knew exactly how much it would cost, but she always liked to be prepared. The running joke in the family was that even though they were considered upper middle class, her father was forever trying to keep up financially with Chi's interests. The truth was a little different: although she enjoyed many different things, she would rarely voice them to her parents. Now that her father knew one of them, she could tell he would be bound and determined to find some way to encourage it.

"I bet your mom knows a good sale for a beginner's telescope; something not too fancy but still dependable, you know?" He continued, then, jokingly, "You may have to help your old dad out a little bit in finding the moon, though-you know how my eyesight is. Remember the first time we tried to find the ice cream place? We got so lost!" His gaze was momentarily distracted until they nearly passed the shop. "Oh, see? Almost missed it again. I could hear the pistachio heaving a sigh of relief."

The blue and white striped awning above the little shop greeted them as usual, the gold lettering indicating Blizzard Sweets. The woman behind the counter recognized them immediately as they strolled in hand-in-hand. "Can I help you two?"

Her father jumped in with his usual jovial nature,"You sure can! Six scoops of pistachio, please."

Chi looked up at him with a knowing grin. It was a game he played where he would "forget" to order her flavors. He crouched down, hooked one arm around her shoulder, and corrected himself: "And one scoop of mint and two scoops of rocky road for the little waif here." Their ice cream cones safely in tow, they wandered around the other stores-mainly toy stores and curiosity shops. Sometimes she wondered what it would be like if she didn't have a dad who was willing to walk around and wade through her energetically bouncing from store to store. It made things interesting, and she had often considered what other kids at school said about their parents—especially how unhappy they were together. She asked her father at one point if that same problem affected him and her mother. His response was one of surprise and sadness.

"That's a very grownup question," he said—and for several minutes that had been his only reply. She could feel her stomach knotting tightly for fear it really was true. He sat her down on a bench and quietly questioned why she had asked such a thing. "I'm sorry we live in a world where that sort of thing happens. Divorce is ugly," he replied solemnly after she explained her meaning. "But I'm making a promise to you the same way I made it to your mom a long time ago." Here he paused and lowered his head to her eye level, searching her face before continuing. She could see for the first time that he was beginning to show a few strands of gray in his otherwise dark blonde hair. "I will stay right here with you until I die. I meant it then with her and I mean it even more now. Sure, some days we aren't what people call "happy," but that's just a feeling, Lady. Feelings are moment to moment; that's why I don't trust them. Love is different than that."

Chi stayed leaning against him on that bench, talking and watching the passerby until the clock on the communications building struck half past four. Light rain began to fall and she knew with disappointment that their trip would soon be over. With a flourish, her father whirled her into the air and off the bench, laughing heartily again. "Your mom will have dinner ready soon, huh?" They started the long trek back. "Sorry I made us walk so far away from the car, Daddy," she chuckled apologetically. "Ah, well, I needed to work off those calories anyway," he replied, ruffling her hair.

A car horn sounded on the street to their right, followed by a red SUV skirting the edge of the sidewalk. Her father pushed her to the inside of the walkway protectively. The next instant another car merged in behind the SUV, screeching erratically and overcompensating its turn. "Daddy!" She called out too late. The SUV buckled from the rear impact, but didn't absorb enough shock to stop the trajectory of the car behind it, the back end swerving into the direction of Chi and her father. All she saw after that was blackness.

She regained consciousness with her head leaning against the pavement, her right leg pinned under something—she couldn't see what. Strangers were gathering around her, speaking a thousand questions at once and trying to free her leg at the same time. Another put their coat on top of her since the rain was falling hard now. "The ambulance is on its way," she finally heard one of them say. Her first thought was that dinner must be getting cold.

"What time is it?"

"4:45," someone said.

Then her mind feebly caught up to the fact that her father was nowhere in sight. She tried asking the strangers if they had seen him, but no one would give her an answer. The paramedics pulled in shortly before the police arrived, sirens blaring through her aching head. They checked her only briefly before ascertaining that she would come with them. "Please, have you seen my daddy?" She begged, frantic by this time, "he's going to miss dinner." Then she saw as they strapped her into the gurney that a man lay not ten feet away, his body twisted halfway across the sidewalk. His hands were frozen in the act of reaching for something and his head lolled to the side so that she could see his face, his eyes half closed as the blood streaking lightly down his forehead mixed with the rain. Her eyes filled with tears; it was her father.

Chi woke with a start, pulling herself onto her crutches after a few minutes deliberation. No sound came from the room next door where Fay dozed; it had been by her insistence that he be treated well that he wasn't cooped up in a box again. She pulled the blanket by the window seat over herself and looked out at the sky.

 **Hopefully you guys enjoyed the bittersweetness of this chapter! I was getting pretty emotional writing it. Y.Y**

 **"There is no greater love than this: that a person would lay down his life for the sake of his friends." John 15:13  
**


	4. Chapter 4

"Are you excited for school to start?"

All she thought was how very much she didn't want to be here or have this topic come up. Chi dug her fingers into the pockets of her dark skirt under the gaze of her friend. Fay's questioning was becoming more and more of a nuisance these days.

Chi let the statement sift through her head before shrugging her shoulders. She hadn't been back since the accident, and she dreaded what the other kids might think of her having crutches for the next few weeks. It was bad enough some of them already thought she was stuck-up.

"Chitose said Chi couldn't do lessons at home anymore. Chi tried to tell her she didn't want to go back so soon, but Chitose wouldn't listen. Chi just wanted to wait until the cast came off…"

"But then you'd start school late and _really_ have to catch up. Besides, who cares if you have a cast or not?"

Fay tossed the basketball higher into the air, just missing the target in front of him. They had been at the park for the past thirty minutes while Chitose picked up school supplies. It was an unusually cool summer day, so Chitose had insisted her daughter needed more sunshine and fresh air on her sallow complexion.

Chi saw Fay throw shot after shot, missing some, but slowly improving. After a while, he turned and offered her the ball.

"Sorry, you probably don't enjoy watching me put the ball to shame."

She shook her head.

He laughed while shaking his own head in amusement. "Gotta hand it to you, Chi; you're one of the most honest people I know!"

She took the ball, calculated the distance, and made the shot with as much strength as she could muster. The ball inclined slightly, but both children knew before it bounced off of the goal post that it was doomed to failure.

"We'd be great at this game if the goal wasn't that basket," he quipped.

She smiled faintly. "Daddy was always better at basketball because he played in highschool and college. Chitose was the one who wanted him to stop."

Fay cocked his head, choosing the words to a question he had been wanting to ask.

"Why do you call your mom 'Chitose'?"

"Ever since Daddy…went away, she hasn't cared about anything. She gets up and she goes to work. She comes home with a present. She leaves. She goes to bed."

Chi looked up for a moment, wary.

"Chi knows Chitose only brings presents home because she feels guilty for being gone. She knows Chitose is trying to keep busy...so Chitose doesn't remember. If she remembers, she'll fall apart. She can't be a mommy right now, so…how can Chi call her that?"

"She's hurt, too," Fay agreed, tossing another futile round at the basketball goal. He set up several more shots – one of which finally made it.

"Chi knows," she said after several minutes, choking on the words as she closed her eyes. "And when Chi goes back to school, everyone will want to know what happened. Chi will be different."

But something else wasn't the same as she looked up from these dark thoughts. She wasn't, as it turned out, going to be left to herself - Fay had dropped the ball and was sitting on the bench with her.

"It's lonely, huh?" He said quietly.

* * *

Chitose scanned each aisle for the final item on the list: plastic folders. She had found everything else within ten minutes of entering the store, but hadn't been prepared for the waves of other parents taking advantage of the back to school sales. Frustrated, she grabbed the first set of folders she saw after turning a sharp corner. She had almost made it to the checkout line when, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a bright display of folders with various patterns.

"I knew it wouldn't be this simple," she sighed, pushing her cart closer. They had originally been split into girls and boys designs, but haphazard shoppers had destroyed any orderly sorting. She came across one folder with a sunset background and a dolphin soaring out of the ocean, and another with a starry galaxy. They both felt similar enough to her daughter's interests – even if she didn't end up liking them, they were inexpensive and could be returned.

After completing her purchase, she glanced at her watch. She was still making good time despite the crowd; anyhow, the park where she had left Chi and Fay was only a few minutes away. The traffic told a different story. Cars wove in and out in clear succession, several times forcing Chitose to slow down considerably.

Finally, she pulled into the parking lot, feeling her blood pressure lowering after fighting traffic. Her eyes searched the area with the basketball court as she walked up. The sound that met her ears was a precursor to the surprise she felt at what she saw: her daughter was _laughing_. Not smirking or chuckling, but laughing. Chitose pulled back, not wanting to intrude on the moment, but the doll looked over and saw her first.

"Hiya, Mrs. Chitose!" he called cheerily.

The way the expression on her daughter's face fell, however, made Chitose's stomach turn. _She's still not comfortable around me, is she?_ She thought. But what could she do other than pretend she hadn't noticed the change in her child?

"Sorry it took so long, kids – I had no idea there would be so many people!" she said, realizing inwardly that she had been acknowledging the doll as more human than before.

"That's alright. It gave us more time to practice our game, right, Chi?"

The girl only nodded.

"What's in the bag?" he asked, noticing the bulk Chitose was carrying over one shoulder.

"Oh, just a little something I thought Chi might like," she responded, pulling out the folders. "They were just so cute, I couldn't help thinking of her when I saw them. I'm glad I got to them before someone else did."

Chi had been scanning over the front and back of each folder, unsure of them at first. But when she heard her mother say that she had thought of _her_ while she picked them out, she slowly held them closer.

"-Think they might work?" Chitose was saying, and Chi realized she was talking to her.

 _She's hurt, too._

"They're fine."

 _She's alone._

 _Maybe more than Chi._

 _Because Daddy is gone._

Her mother's face didn't look as tired and worried at that moment—and Chi wondered how long it had been that way, and why she hadn't noticed before.

* * *

It was Monday morning, her first day back to school, that Chi felt the anxiety really kick in. It wasn't so much that the other kids would ask questions—she knew they would; it was the feeling of not knowing what to say when they did ask. The fear of being awkward and out of place, being pitied, laughed at, or ignored completely were all possibilities that she dreaded. How much nicer it would be if she could stay inside and forget the world, living like the hermits she had read about. But today was Monday. Chitose peeked in and knocked lightly on the door frame. The navy suit she usually wore to work had been replaced by a maroon blouse and jeans, and her hair was also styled in a more carefree and simple way rather than the strict bun. Sakura appeared behind her, moving to bring Chi her school jacket.

"So, how's the first day feel?" Chitose asked cautiously.

Chi shrugged, surveying herself in the mirror. "Same as last year."

"Let's hope you don't throw up in your dad's—the car again," Chitose said, catching herself as her eyes misted.

"It'll be ok. Chi didn't eat junk food this time."

Her mother laughed at her daughter's nonchalance. "Good!"

Then, noticing the school insignia pin was still laying on the dresser, Chitose knelt down and pinned it to Chi's jacket. The curve of the insignia's shape formed a chain of shooting stars. She wanted to hug her daughter and say that everything would be fine, but doubted if Chi would let her. Instead, she took both of Chi's hands in her own.

"You're looking so grown-up, Chi," she said quietly. "Today might be a little scary, but I know you'll do well. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. I know who you are, and…and if your dad was here, he'd say the same thing, too."

At first, she wasn't sure if Chi had been listening, but when her daughter turned her head back to look at Chitose, the girl bit her bottom lip and nodded forcefully.

Sakura knelt down on the floor next to them, smiling gently. "Let's go to school and do our best, then."

 _Maybe Chi can be brave, too._

 ** _I was finally able to post something new! This is in honor of my own parents, who give me so much joy, and whom I can never ever repay for all they have done for me:_**

 ** _"Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching. They are a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck."_**

 ** _Proverbs 1:8-9_**


End file.
